On June 30, I attended the virtual town hall about recent changes to AIHA’s branding. One aspect of the new brand is an emphasis on our members’ connections to occupational health and safety, a more familiar term to the general public than industrial hygiene.

The town hall was valuable and thought provoking. I took three key points from the discussion:

1. Looking Outside of Ourselves

“Looking outside of ourselves” means that the brand is designed to resonate with other audiences—those whom we serve. All of the incredible value that our profession offers is wasted if those outside the profession don’t know who we are, what we do, and how we can serve them.

For example, I am one of only a handful of hygienists working in law enforcement. I recently presented a webinar on opioid safety to 320 people who work in forensic science labs. The majority of forensic scientists that I’ve instructed have no previous work experience in an “industrial” environment. Realizing that this was likely the first time that many in the audience had heard of our profession, I included a slide with an old photograph of miners to help me explain where this odd-sounding profession came from and how its work relates to a forensic science lab. After thinking about "looking outside ourselves,” I see that a new approach to selling our brand to the people we serve is needed.

2. Accessibility for Young Professionals

I joined AIHA as a student member while I was an undergrad at Ferris State University. During my senior year, I used the AIHA membership directory to mail at least 100 resumes and cover letters to hygienists across the country, but when I graduated in 1994, I was unable to find a job as an IH. Instead, I worked for 13 years as a “hazardous materials chemist,” “operations specialist,” “chemical safety assistant,” and “environmental quality analyst.” It wasn’t until January 2007, when I signed on with the Michigan State Police, that I attained the title “industrial hygienist.” Regardless of my title, I always viewed the world through an IH perspective. But I never considered rejoining AIHA until I had the IH title. I could have benefited a great deal from AIHA during those years, but I felt that I wasn’t an IH and therefore did not belong in AIHA.

Since 2007, I’ve conducted new employee safety orientations for over 150 recent college graduates. In that time, not a single person I’ve taught has claimed to have heard the term “industrial hygiene” or understood what it means. I’ve had many experiences where people say, “I had no idea people do the work that you do.” I am concerned that many talented young people are missing out on an extremely rewarding career. If this is the case, our profession will suffer greatly.

3. Workers Are People First

This concept s with NIOSH’s Total Worker Health initiative. I find that much of the educational work I do as part of my employment addresses issues that people can and should take home to their families. Chemical safety, first-aid, hearing protection, you name it—none of it ends at 5 p.m. When we do a good job of protecting workers on the job, we also protect their families, and the communities we live in.

I support AIHA’s rebranding and look forward to helping our profession benefit more people and encouraging talented people to join us in creating healthier workplaces and a healthier world.